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Excellence in Action on the Court Tyler Cleveland is the embodiment of excellence in action. As a practitioner of Maharishi’s Transcendental Meditation Technique since the age of four and graduate of the Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment in Fairfield, USA, Tyler is emerging as an international champion tennis player. He was the number one player at the University of Iowa, and is a three-time state singles champion. One opponent likened him to a ‘pterodactyl in Nikes’. Not only has Tyler climbed in rank from number 1400 to 360 in the world rankings for tennis in under a year—a remarkable feat by tennis standards—but also he is consistently calm, confidant, and extremely centred. His coach, tennis-pro/author Clint Stephenson, remarked, ‘(Transcendental Meditation) has given Tyler the ability to see things differently than most people . . . he is going for his dreams or rather, doing his dharma. It has given him the perspective to be in the right place at the right time. Tyler was meant to play tennis and it really shows in his excellence on the court.’ Tyler’s opponents frequently comment on how he remains composed and focused he is before and during matches. His coach remarks, ‘With all the pressure of playing seasoned veterans and the hectic travel schedule, Tyler still has the presence of mind to keep improving and working on his game.’ Tyler credits his success in tennis to the practice of the Transcendental Meditation Technique, which helps him stay relaxed, yet highly focused, even during his toughest matches. He explained, ‘Anything you can do to relax and get away from the stress of the competition is helpful and is an advantage over everyone else. It can be stressful out there when everyone is battling each another for money and points every week. So it’s a good way to relax and take a step back. And when you are on the court, there are so many distractions. Having the ability to focus—that’s the crucial thing.’ Currently Tyler is playing on the ‘Challenger Tour’, which he likened to a minor league for tennis. He hopes to eventually accumulate enough points to play on the Association of Tennis Players (ATP) tour level tournaments such as the US Open. His coach comments, ‘I've heard a lot of players on tour say its only a matter of time before Tyler climbs the rankings and will be able to play at the majors. And as fast as he is improving and given the short amount of time he has achieved what he has, I believe it will happen sooner than later.’ Cleveland is obviously on his way to the top. We asked him if he had any specific message that he would like to send out to the youth around the world, to which he replied, ‘I think TM helps in every aspect of life, whether it is sports, or school, or whatever you are doing. If you are more calm and your mind is more settled, then you are going to have better success. I think it’s a just great tool to use, for anybody who wants to be successful in anything that they are doing.’ © Copyright 2006, Global Good News(sm) Service |
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